Ultrasound-Guided Pneumatic Reduction of Intussusception in Children

Introduction: Intussusception, occurring most commonly in 6-month to 3-year-olds, involves bowel invagination with symptoms like abdominal pain, red currant jelly stool, and a palpable mass. The preferred treatment is non-operative, especially in stable cases without contraindications. Non-operative methods include ultrasound-guided hydrostatic and pneumatic reduction, as well as fluoroscopic-guided hydrostatic reduction with barium and pneumatic reduction with air enema. Methods: The prospective study took place at a specialized pediatric hospital over 36 months period. All children experiencing intussusception underwent abdominal sonographic assessment for diagnosis. Subsequently, an attempt was made to perform ultrasound-guided pneumatic reduction of the intussusception. Exclusions comprised hemodynamically unstable children, those displaying signs of peritonitis or bowel perforation, and those with sonographically identified pathological lead points. Results: A total of 98 children were treated with ultrasound-guided pneumatic reduction for intussusception.The average age of the patient was 11.38±9.24 months. Ileocolic intussusception was the most common finding in 98.9%. Around 80% of the patients was presented with complaints of severe abdominal pain. In 43.8% of the patients, the duration of symptoms was less than 24 hours. The mean length of intussusception was 3.64 cm. A total of 94 (96%) children had successful reduction of intussusceptions with recurrence found in only two of cases. Conclusion: Pneumatic reduction of intussusception is a highly effective procedure. It is associated with reduced morbidity and mortality and reduced risk of exploratory laparotomy. The main predictor for the outcome was the duration of symptoms before presentation to the institute, thus early use of pneumatic reduction is advisable

Aedes aegypti lachesin protein binds to the domain III of envelop protein of Dengue virus-2 and inhibits viral replication.

Dengue virus (DENV) comprises of four serotypes (DENV-1 to -4) and is medically one of the most important arboviruses (arthropod-borne virus). DENV infection is a major human health burden and is transmitted between humans by the insect vector, Aedes aegypti. Ae. aegypti ingests DENV while feeding on infected humans, which traverses through its gut, haemolymph and salivary glands of the mosquito before being injected into a healthy human. During this process of transmission, DENV must interact with many proteins of the insect vector, which are important for its successful transmission. Our study focused on the identification and characterisation of interacting protein partners in Ae. aegypti to DENV. Since domain III (DIII) of envelope protein (E) is exposed on the virion surface and is involved in virus entry into various cells, we performed phage display library screening against domain III of the envelope protein (EDIII) of DENV-2. A peptide sequence showing similarity to lachesin protein was found interacting with EDIII. The lachesin protein was cloned, heterologously expressed, purified and used for in vitro interaction studies. Lachesin protein interacted with EDIII and also with DENV. Further, lachesin protein was localised in neuronal cells of different organs of Ae. aegypti by confocal microscopy. Blocking of lachesin protein in Ae. aegypti with anti-lachesin antibody resulted in a significant reduction in DENV replication

Introducing v0.5 of the AI Safety Benchmark from MLCommons

This paper introduces v0.5 of the AI Safety Benchmark, which has been created by the MLCommons AI Safety Working Group. The AI Safety Benchmark has been designed to assess the safety risks of AI systems that use chat-tuned language models. We introduce a principled approach to specifying and constructing the benchmark, which for v0.5 covers only a single use case (an adult chatting to a general-purpose assistant in English), and a limited set of personas (i.e., typical users, malicious users, and vulnerable users). We created a new taxonomy of 13 hazard categories, of which 7 have tests in the v0.5 benchmark. We plan to release version 1.0 of the AI Safety Benchmark by the end of 2024. The v1.0 benchmark will provide meaningful insights into the safety of AI systems. However, the v0.5 benchmark should not be used to assess the safety of AI systems. We have sought to fully document the limitations, flaws, and challenges of v0.5. This release of v0.5 of the AI Safety Benchmark includes (1) a principled approach to specifying and constructing the benchmark, which comprises use cases, types of systems under test (SUTs), language and context, personas, tests, and test items; (2) a taxonomy of 13 hazard categories with definitions and subcategories; (3) tests for seven of the hazard categories, each comprising a unique set of test items, i.e., prompts. There are 43,090 test items in total, which we created with templates; (4) a grading system for AI systems against the benchmark; (5) an openly available platform, and downloadable tool, called ModelBench that can be used to evaluate the safety of AI systems on the benchmark; (6) an example evaluation report which benchmarks the performance of over a dozen openly available chat-tuned language models; (7) a test specification for the benchmark

Global burden of chronic respiratory diseases and risk factors, 1990–2019: an update from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Updated data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are vital in their prevention, control, and treatment in the path to achieving the third UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030. We provided global, regional, and national estimates of the burden of CRDs and their attributable risks from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we estimated mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), prevalence, and incidence of CRDs, i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumoconiosis, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis, and other CRDs, from 1990 to 2019 by sex, age, region, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) in 204 countries and territories. Deaths and DALYs from CRDs attributable to each risk factor were estimated according to relative risks, risk exposure, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level input. Findings: In 2019, CRDs were the third leading cause of death responsible for 4.0 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval 3.6–4.3) with a prevalence of 454.6 million cases (417.4–499.1) globally. While the total deaths and prevalence of CRDs have increased by 28.5% and 39.8%, the age-standardised rates have dropped by 41.7% and 16.9% from 1990 to 2019, respectively. COPD, with 212.3 million (200.4–225.1) prevalent cases, was the primary cause of deaths from CRDs, accounting for 3.3 million (2.9–3.6) deaths. With 262.4 million (224.1–309.5) prevalent cases, asthma had the highest prevalence among CRDs. The age-standardised rates of all burden measures of COPD, asthma, and pneumoconiosis have reduced globally from 1990 to 2019. Nevertheless, the age-standardised rates of incidence and prevalence of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis have increased throughout this period. Low- and low-middle SDI countries had the highest age-standardised death and DALYs rates while the high SDI quintile had the highest prevalence rate of CRDs. The highest deaths and DALYs from CRDs were attributed to smoking globally, followed by air pollution and occupational risks. Non-optimal temperature and high body-mass index were additional risk factors for COPD and asthma, respectively. Interpretation: Albeit the age-standardised prevalence, death, and DALYs rates of CRDs have decreased, they still cause a substantial burden and deaths worldwide. The high death and DALYs rates in low and low-middle SDI countries highlights the urgent need for improved preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic measures. Global strategies for tobacco control, enhancing air quality, reducing occupational hazards, and fostering clean cooking fuels are crucial steps in reducing the burden of CRDs, especially in low- and lower-middle income countries

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Introducing v0.5 of the AI Safety Benchmark from MLCommons

This paper introduces v0.5 of the AI Safety Benchmark, which has been created by the MLCommons AI Safety Working Group. The AI Safety Benchmark has been designed to assess the safety risks of AI systems that use chat-tuned language models. We introduce a principled approach to specifying and constructing the benchmark, which for v0.5 covers only a single use case (an adult chatting to a general-purpose assistant in English), and a limited set of personas (i.e., typical users, malicious users, and vulnerable users). We created a new taxonomy of 13 hazard categories, of which 7 have tests in the v0.5 benchmark. We plan to release version 1.0 of the AI Safety Benchmark by the end of 2024. The v1.0 benchmark will provide meaningful insights into the safety of AI systems. However, the v0.5 benchmark should not be used to assess the safety of AI systems. We have sought to fully document the limitations, flaws, and challenges of v0.5. This release of v0.5 of the AI Safety Benchmark includes (1) a principled approach to specifying and constructing the benchmark, which comprises use cases, types of systems under test (SUTs), language and context, personas, tests, and test items; (2) a taxonomy of 13 hazard categories with definitions and subcategories; (3) tests for seven of the hazard categories, each comprising a unique set of test items, i.e., prompts. There are 43,090 test items in total, which we created with templates; (4) a grading system for AI systems against the benchmark; (5) an openly available platform, and downloadable tool, called ModelBench that can be used to evaluate the safety of AI systems on the benchmark; (6) an example evaluation report which benchmarks the performance of over a dozen openly available chat-tuned language models; (7) a test specification for the benchmark

Multivariate Analysis in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for Yield and Yield Contributing Traits

The present investigation was conducted to examine the 20 Bread Wheat genotypes to study the genetic parameters, correlation and genetic diversity. The experiment was carried out in main experimental station of Agricultural Research Farm, Rama University (U.P), Mandhana, Kanpur during Rabi Season, 2020-21 in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Analysis of variance showed highly significant differences among 20 Bread Wheat for 11 characters studied. Genetic divergence was estimated among 20 genotypes by using Mahalanobis’s D2 statistic. The genotypes were grouped into 5 clusters. Cluster 1 comprises maximum genotypes which is 15 in numbers namely (HPST-16-17-07, BHU 25, BHU 31, ZINCO1, ANKUR, PBW Zn 1, WB 02, HPAN 101, HPAN 147, HPAN 164, HPAN 57, HPAN 65, HPAN 111, HPAN 127, HD 2967) followed by cluster 2 comprises 1 genotypes ((HPAN 42), cluster 3 comprises 1 genotype (HPST 16 -17-15), cluster 4 comprises 2 genotype (HPST 16-17-16, CRD GHEHU 1), cluster 5 comprises 1 genotype (PBW 677). The maximum Intra-cluster (D2) was registered for cluster 1 (7.93). Inter-cluster distance (D2) was found maximum between cluster 4 and cluster 5. Cluster 4 showed maximum cluster mean value for grain yield per plant. Cluster means indicated that none of the clusters was superior for all the characters studied. Therefore, hybridization between genotypes belonging to different clusters is suggested for development of superior genotypes. Thousand seed weight was the main factor contributing towards genetic diversity accounting for (26.32%) followed by grain per spikelets (25.79%)

Floating Drug Delivery System an Aid to Enhance Dissolution Profile of Gastric

With the GRDDS, the dose shape remains controllably in the stomach after oral administration, so that the medication may be continually delivered to its absorption receptors in the intestinal tract. The medicine is delivering in a controlled and extended way. Gastro-retentive dose in the stomach area may last for another few hours and substantially lengthen the gastric residence period of the medicines. While the bulk density in the system for the supply of floating medicines (FDDS) exceeds the gastric fluids, it remains for an extended duration in the stomach without altering the rate of decomposition. The medication distributes gradually as the system floats on the stomach juice. As a consequence, stomach residency takes longer and plasma concentrations are well monitored. The therapy of peptic ulcer illness might be beneficial for local activity in the upper portion of the intestine, i.e., a longer stomach residency. In addition, medicines rapidly absorbed in the GI tract will increase bioavailability through delayed stomach release. The regulated gastric retention of solid dose forms can also be accomplished by the simultaneous administration of pharmacological agents, or by sedimentation, flotation processes, muco-adhesion, expansion, changed shape systems, by delaying the stomach emptying. Keywords: Gastro-retentive drug delivery system, Floating drug delivery system, Muco-adhesion, Bioavailability